In 1900, just 15% of the world’s population lived in cities. Now that proportion is over 50%, which is a lot of people. In fact, it means around 4 billion human beings rely on urban infrastructure to keep them warm, mobile and clean. Technology helps with this of course. Digital sensors, smart phones and smart home appliances allow for a new kind of understanding between citizens and city officials. In this so-called “smart city”, information and communication technologies (ICT) and… (Continua a leggere)

The last piece of summer sea-ice in the Arctic is expected to melt away in just 23 years, three decades earlier than previously expected. Scientists now believe that the summer of 2040 will see the end of the frozen north pole after a rapid shrinking of the ice coverage in recent years, according to a report from the Arctic Council. The scientific policy group of the eight countries with territory in the Arctic Circle says that over the past 30… (Continua a leggere)

Water is the ultimate systems challenge. It is the unique resource that is key to almost all drivers of growth – be it agricultural production, energy generation, industry and manufacturing – it also connects and binds these sectors all together into a cohesive economic system intertwined with social development and the environment. A decision to allocate more water to energy, food, industry or manufacturing, is an implicit decision that less water will be available for other economic uses, public water supply… (Continua a leggere)

A new way to make nasty or salty water drinkable features carbon-dipped paper. It could be a cheap and efficient option for addressing global drinking water shortages, particularly in developing areas and regions affected by natural disasters. “Using extremely low-cost materials, we have been able to create a system that makes near maximum use of the solar energy during evaporation. At the same time, we are minimizing the amount of heat loss during this process,” says lead researcher Qiaoqiang… (Continua a leggere)

La Riflessione

You’ve probably heard of foreign businesspeople who have had great success in Japan, such as Carlos Ghosn, the former chairman of Nissan Motor. But you might not know about an American investor who has played a key role in advising the Japanese government on reforming the corporate sector. In July 2014, Scott Callon, CEO of Ichigo Asset Management, received a call from Japan’s Financial Services Agency (FSA) and was summoned for a meeting. Callon was filled with anxiety. After all,… (Continua a leggere)